Sunline Energy Saver Retractable Clothesline Review

I’ve had it up to here with electric clothes dryers. The last one, a Frigidaire, died one month after the warranty expired. The GE I replaced that with runs o.k., but it keeps eating our clothes! I’ve had a repairman in to look at it; he couldn’t find the problem. After the darn thing tore one of my hand made quilts, I told my husband, “That’s it! I’m tired of being at the mercy of these machines. I want a clothesline.”

This is not the first time I’ve fallen out with an electric dryer and put up a clothes line. A few years ago we strung one up between two oak trees in the back yard. I found out why nearly everyone in Florida machine dries their clothes. During the rainy season (which lasts fully half of the year) the frequent afternoon showers make line drying a near impossibility. I also got tired of being attacked by mosquitoes every time I ventured out to either hang up a load of wash or take one down. Down came the clothes line. Out came the credit card at the appliance store.

Unless I wanted another dryer on my credit card, I had to think of another solution. I dragged hubby out onto the screen porch. “Could you install a retractable clothesline out here?” I asked him. “What’s a retractable clothesline?” he wanted to know. I pulled a picture of a Sunline Energy Saver up on my PC. “I guess I could put that up out there,” he told me. He had to run over to Ace Hardware for something or other so he said he’d see if they had one.

“You lucked out,” he said when he walked back into the house a few minutes later. “This was the only one left.” He grabbed the drill and went out the back door. Five minutes later he said, “O.k., it’s up.”

I didn’t believe he could have installed it that quickly. I went out to look. He’d installed the swivel end with the case that the line retracts into onto the masonry wall of the house. He’d mounted the metal hook that the line loops over to the metal post opposite the wall. The hardware required to install the Sunline comes with it.

I had a load of wet wash ready and waiting. A problem I’ve had with clotheslines in the past is sagging. Sunline claims that their retractable clothesline locks tight at any length up to 40 feet. My screen porch is only 12 feet wide so I didn’t test it at the full length, but it does lock tight enough not to sag at 12 feet.

Another thing I like about this clothesline is that it isn’t noticeable when not in use, even if I don’t bother to retract it. The case, mounting bracket and the plastic line are all the same beige color. They just kind of disappear when they’re not holding laundry.

Now, I only use my clothes eater when I desperately need clean towels and it’s pouring out. The Sunline Energy Saver Retractable Clothesline has put the smell of fresh air and sunshine back into my laundry and it really does save energy as my air conditioner no longer has to work overtime to pull the heat from the dryer back out of the house. Not bad for 15 bucks.